• "Some patients reported improvements in other physical health conditions, for example decreased headaches, menstruation pain and improved energy levels."
• "Other patients felt they had experienced improvements in their psychological well-being."
• "Patients appreciated having the (manual therapy) service at their GP practice, it was a convenient location and a familiar environment. They trusted a service provided through their GP practice, and felt reassured that their GP would know details about their... treatment."
• Ninety-one percent of participants said that they would use this care again at their GP's clinic.
• "This figure fell to only 30.8% who would use it privately, this was principally because of the cost of treatment."
• Almost 25% had problems getting their manual therapy because the providers were so popular.
• "GPs particularly valued having the service on site, this meant they were aware that their patients were having CAM treatment and were able to access details of patient appointments on the practice's computerised system and communicate with CAM practitioners easily. GPs also welcomed the relatively short waiting time for appointments and having an extra referral option."
• "Our results reveal patients are enthusiastic about the benefits of CAM treatments for pain when expertly delivered. ...the current study shows how high patient approval and demand for effective CAM services can have unexpected results. One drawback of the service was that patients wanted more CAM provision than originally estimated. Ideally there should be a degree of flexibility of CAM therapists to provide more or less appointments depending on patient demand."
• "Our findings suggest that it is possible for a GP... to quickly adapt to incorporate a CAM pain service."
• "It demonstrates that it is possible to introduce treatment modalities into a GP surgery for patient benefit, even when the underlying philosophy differs to that of biomedicine.

At the time of this writing, a report was published by Health Forum, a subsidiary of the national hospital association, and the Samueli Institute. The report found that the percentage of U.S. hospitals that "offer one or more alternative therapies, including meditation, relaxation training, homeopathy and chiropractic care" has risen from 37% to 42% in the last four years.⁶

Action Plan

Given the move for greater access to chiropractic and other forms of alternative health, it only makes sense to at least consider practicing where the patients are. Patients in both the military clinics and the English medical clinic received effective care from providers and in both cases, the alternative providers are very busy with lots of new patients.

With the English study in hand, a doctor of chiropractic could make a very good case for the inclusion of chiropractic care in their local medical clinic. With a copy of the English study and the Samueli report, a DC could approach their local hospital about establishing a relationship. In both scenarios, the doctors of chiropractic will be providing care that will exceed the usual care, receive an enthusiastic response from their new patients and the medical staff will have more time to focus on ailments they are better suited to address.

These two studies are powerful. They open the door for DCs to practice in an integrated health care environment, seeing patients they would probably never get to see. They also expand access to chiropractic care to the environments where most of the patients already frequent.

References:

1. Lawrence DJ, Meeker WC. Chiropractic and CAM Utilization: A Descriptive Review. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007, 15:2 doi:10.1186/1746-1340-15-2. http://chiromt.com/content/15/1/2
2. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2009. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. December 2010. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_249.pdf
3. Green BN, Johnson CD, Lisi AJ. Chiropractic in U.S. Military and Veterans' Health Care. Military Medicine 2009, vol. 174, no. 6
4. National Survey of Doctors of Chiropractic. MPA Media. Aug 18, 2011.
5. Cheshire A, Polley M, Peters D, Ridge D. Is it Feasible and Effective to Provide Osteopathy and Acupuncture For Patients With Musculoskeletal Problems in a GP Setting? BMC Family Practice. 2011;12(60) www.medscape.com/viewarticle/747199
6. 2010 COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE SURVEY OF HOSPITALS. © 2011 Samueli Institute. www.siib.org/news/2468-SIIB/version/default/part/AttachmentData/data/CAM%20Survey%20FINAL.pdf

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